Peace Must Reign At Wasipe

The decision by Musah Mahamadu, a supposed chief from the Tampulma ethnic group to create a new paramountcy in the Wasipe Traditional Area in the North Gonja District of the Northern Region has reportedly resulted in high tension in the area, with some of the people beating war drums over the issue.

Addressing a news conference at Daboya, the traditional capital recently, Wasipe-wura Anyami Kabasageya I posed the question: “Before one can become a paramount chief, he must have a number of sub chiefs and a recognized area under his jurisdiction.  “In the case of the Tampulmas who are requesting for recognition and hence paramountcy, reference Musah Mahamadu, where is his land and how many gates or divisions ascend to this paramountcy that he is claiming?”

According to Wasipewura, who considers the Tampulams as settlers, if there should even be a consideration, including Tampulma elders in the Gonja traditional council, it could not be Musah Mahamadu, because he is not a chief, let alone a paramount chief.

On the day of the press conference in Daboya, some unidentified group, alleged to be members of the Tampulma ethnic group, reportedly ambushed and assaulted two chiefs and their elders who were invited by the Wasipewura to his palace for the meeting.

Meanwhile, the Tampulmas in an earlier Press Conference in Tamale, addressed by one Amadu Latif, threatened Court actions against the Gonja Traditional Council, chaired by the YagbonwuraTuntumba Boresa for failing to recognize the Tampulmas as citizens of Gonjaland.

According to Amadu Latif, who serves as the group's Spokesperson, there would be a street protest ahead of the court action to back their demand for recognition. He said that the Tampulmas had been overly marginalized due to the Yagbonwura's failure to approve Kadichari-tina Musah Mahamadu II as a Paramount Chief.

Clearly, one does not need a magician to warn the government that a potential devastating conflict is in the offing. The fact that some of the chiefs loyal to Wusipewura were ambushed and allegedly assaulted by the other faction tells how dangerous the situation could be if it is not managed immediately.

A similar chieftaincy dispute in the Dagbon Kingdom led to the brutal murder of Ya-Na Yakubu Andani, whose death is still a sword of Damocles hanging over the head of Ghanaians.   Under no circumstances should this kind of misfortune strike Ghanaians again and that is why The Chronicle is calling on the Mahama government and the National House of Chiefs to rise up immediately and nib this potential conflict situation in the bud, before something else happens.

The Chronicle is also urging all the protagonists to resort to the court of law to resolve the issue over the creation of the new paramountcy, instead of resorting to violence which could even exacerbate the situation.

We are in an election year and anything that would stoke the embers of tensed situation must be avoided. The security agencies cannot surely deal with an election related security and at the same time handle chieftaincy conflict.

The peace Ghana is enjoying, which is being envied by our neighbours must be maintained for the betterment of the country. We know chieftaincy is part and parcel of our rich culture, which must be preserved at all times. In so doing, however, we must think about the generation yet unborn.